Packers Unveil New Offensive Line vs. Commanders

With David Bakhtiari inactive, the Green Bay Packers will have a new offensive line vs. the Washington Commanders. It’s just not the one they planned to use.

With David Bakhtiari inactive, the Green Bay Packers will have a new offensive line vs. the Washington Commanders. It’s just not the one they planned to use.

Plan A gave up four sacks in last week’s loss to the New York Jets. Plan B, which was supposed to be rolled out for Sunday’s game at the Washington Commanders, was scuttled when left tackle David Bakhtiari was listed among the inactives.

So, it’s onto Plan C – one that includes a rookie making his first NFL start in place of Bakhtiari and mass changes elsewhere.

Based on pregame warmups, the Packers will line up with rookie Zach Tom at left tackle, Elgton Jenkins at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Jon Runyan at right guard and Yosh Nijman at right tackle. Only Myers will start at his spot from last week.

With growing confidence in Bakhtiari’s knee and in the quest of getting their “best five” linemen on the field, the Packers felt comfortable moving Nijman from left tackle to right tackle, a position he hasn’t played in a game since his senior year at Virginia Tech in 2018. That, in turn, sent Jenkins, who had started the previous five games at right tackle, back to left guard, where he earned Pro Bowl honors in 2020.

Based on individual drills at the start of practices on Wednesday and Thursday, there was an obvious direction that coach Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and offensive line coach Luke Butkus had planned to go. They’re sticking with that plan, even without Bakhtiari.

That led to an interesting dance with Stenavich during his media availability after Thursday’s practice. It was the equivalent of, “I know the offensive line. You know that I know the offensive line. And I know that you know that I know the offensive line.”

Making position changes on the offensive line during the middle of the season is not ideal, as Stenavich acknowledged. Because of Bakhtiari’s knee, for instance, Nijman only played left tackle last season and in training camp, the preseason and the start of the regular season this year.

Jenkins, in turn, played left tackle last year and only played right tackle this year after being cleared from his knee injury. Putting Jenkins at left guard meant moving Jon Runyan, with 22 starts at left guard in 2021 and 2022, to right guard, a position he has not played.

“Less is more in that aspect as far as the different pieces you have to move around,” Stenavich said. “But, in the same vein, you’ve got to get your best five guys out there in their best spots, so that’s just things you’ve got to take into consideration when you’re making those decisions.”

Those decisions might have been thrown out the window – at least for this week – with Bakhtiari’s absence. Bakhtiari’s knee has been the sticking point in moving Nijman to right tackle all along. How can the critically important backup plan at left tackle be inserted at right tackle given the day-to-day uncertainty of Bakhtiari? Will Bakhtiari be able to play on any given Sunday, let alone be able to play every snap on those Sundays?

But that was the plan – and they’ll stick with it, only with the rookie fourth-rounder Tom taking Bakhtiari’s place at left tackle and the Packers being all-in on Jenkins at left guard and Nijman at right tackle. A source on Thursday said the Packers had planned to go with a “super side” of Bakhtiari and Jenkins. In 2020, Bakhtiari was the All-Pro left tackle and Jenkins was a Pro Bowler at left guard.

Other than Bakhtiari, nobody on Green Bay’s front played well last week against the Jets, when it gave up four sacks and nine quarterback hits.

From the frying pan and into the fire, the Packers will face the Commanders’ ferocious front. They rank fourth in sacks, fourth in sack percentage and first in pressure percentage. Tasked with blocking a group that includes three first-round picks – defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne and defensive end Montez Sweat – there might have been some growing pains under even a best-case scenario.

Now, the Packers will have to beat that group without Bakhtiari, their best player, with a fourth-round pick making his first start and three players starting at different positions.

“When you decide you want to make a change, you make the change and stick with it because it’s not going to be perfect right away,” Stenavich said. “The first day of practice, if it doesn’t look great, you can’t just scrap it. You’ve got to say, ‘this is what we’re doing’ and give it a week, give it two weeks and just make sure that that’s the right decision. You have to know you’re making the right decision and then just stick with it and see what happens.”

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